Chapter 3: What Is This Feeling?

After I accepted Sol's offer and followed him to his house, the first thing I realized was he introduced his full name as Sol Montgomery. That name was not who I thought he was. He was so much more. My initial guess was that he was just another wealthy pureblood. That thought was shot to high heavens as we pulled up into the mansion's driveway—maybe more of a small castle's driveway. Either or, it was like something out of an epic fantasy novel. I knew purebloods loved to live lavishly but wasn't something like this just a tad excessive for a single bachelor to live alone in? Sol must have noted my awe-struck expression as I stared up at the mansion-castle because I heard him laugh from beside me. "The house has been in my family for… Well, as long as I can remember. I grew up in this house, and so did my father." That shocked me. The question of how old Sol was rushed through my mind, but I knew better than to ask a vampire how old they were. Least of all, one you barely knew. I was still completely wary of Sol. Hell, the only reason I was still even in his presence was that he said he had some unexplainable attachment to me. That in itself was enough to send alarm bells ringing through my head. I sighed internally, desperate times… "So, this is your family's house?" I asked him as I followed him up the large stone staircase toward the front door. "Kind of," Sol said as he opened the door for me and allowed me to go through first. "I live here alone for now, but my family visits here occasionally. We only need to have some protection during the day. I'm sure you can understand, right?" I turned toward him with a raised brow at his comment. "No," I said, "I can't say that I do." Being a half-blood, I never had to shy away from the sun like my pure-blooded counterparts. That's what I would eternally be grateful for. "Anyway, usually they don't come here unless they want to discuss some important things with me." I nodded along as he spoke and continued to follow him through the building. He led me to the kitchen to prepare me food, the bathroom, library, and living area. "And finally…" We stopped at a large oak door to the right side of an open hallway. "This will be your room. Mine is just down the hall." Sol motioned to larger double doors at the end of the hallway before opening the door to my room and walking in. "You can start work in the morning. It should go up until late afternoon but–" "Hold on, Mr. Montgomery." I held up my hands and shook my head at him, "I have classes in the morning. I can't just skip them and prance around as your little secretary." Sol raised his eyebrows and crossed his hands behind his back. "Classes?" I nodded my head. "Why? It's useless. I mean, I don't think human knowledge or theories are useful for you." I rolled my eyes at his comment and threw my hands in front of me in exasperation. He was a pure-blooded vampire owning eternal life and only being active at night. Of course, he couldn't understand why the half-blooded creature like me needed a degree to get a decent job to feed myself. "It's just," I made vague motions in the air, "I need that degree to get a well-paid job and prevent me from starving to death on the street." "But you have a well-paying job now, and I've just provided accommodation for you to stay." He looked more confused. "Well, you are right. But..." Sighing deeply, I ran my hand through my hair and tried to explain my thought. "I don't expect to be in your employment forever. I have to live on my own. I appreciate your room but–" "No." Sol interrupted me harshly. I looked up at him in alarm at the tone he used. I watched as his face morphed from shock at his own harsh tone to an apologetic one. "I mean… Sorry, I apologize. But I think it would be best if you reside here for the time being. I… I would appreciate it." I blinked at the situation that had just occurred. What was running through this vampire's mind when he looked at me? At that moment, I was attracted by his beautiful eyes, forgetting he was a dangerous pure-blooded vampire. I couldn't help but take a step toward him. The overwhelming urge to be nearer to him somehow grasped me. It hooked me tightly in a way I had never experienced before. Surprisingly, I brought my hand up to his face and traced the smooth skin there. My head tilted at his reaction, eyes shut, and breathing halted. I saw his hands twitching at his sides as though he tried to reach out and touch me. The atmosphere switched to something tense. It was like the oxygen level in the air was dropping rapidly of a sudden. "What happened to me...." I heard myself whisper to no one in particular. I didn't expect an answer from him either as I watched his eyes slowly drift open and stare at me with the same amount of cluelessness I held when I looked at him. "I… I don't know," He seemed to pause for a moment. His hand finally lifted and grasped my hand that still rested on his cheek. "But it feels…" I watched as he shook his head, desperately searching for a word to properly describe what was happening at that moment. Perhaps that was it. Interesting? Strange? Comfortable. Right, it felt… a bit comfortable. Sol turned my hand in his. I watched as he turned his head to follow it. His nose smelled at the base of my palm. He was careful to avoid touching the leather on my wrist. He pulled my hand further up in the air and pressed his nose to my skin. I felt like my heart was going to burn like the skin that was touched by his nose. 'Please keep going,' my inner spirit screamed. But... "Why do you smell so delicious?" His words dragged me to reality. I'd heard similar questions many times before I escaped to the city, but I didn't feel he wanted to suck my blood. Maybe he just gave me praise. Whatever he wanted to say, I blinked my eyes harshly as reality shot through the glass-covered moment. I almost heard it shatter as I pulled my hand away from him and took a step breath. A harsh breath of air left my lungs, and I cleared my throat before I spoke. "Well," I began, "either way, it would take some time to adjust to this new arrangement." I looked up at him again and saw that clarity was returning to his eyes as well, however slowly, and watched as he nodded and straightened himself out again. "Right." He looked at me. I doubted he might miss what I said just now. He cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Right, well, yes… So… Will you stay tonight?" I bit my lip, trying to prevent him from catching that I wanted to laugh. I glanced down at my watch without thinking and realized it was already morning. He had to go to sleep for the day. I nodded, "Okay, I'll be here until you go to sleep. During the day, I have to go back to my apartment to take some necessaries, though." I watched as Sol thought over my words, his eyes still blank and searching as he stared at everything except my face. "Okay," he said finally and then just before he left, "Sol." "Excuse me?" I asked, confused. "Earlier, you called me Mr. Montgomery," He clarified, "I want you to call me Sol instead." It was my turn to nod dumbly at him this time. He smiled, and before he left, "Another thing," he stopped in front of the door, "You won't be a nominal assistant. I do plan to allocate some work for you. Just looking forward." He left with a good smile. I feel better and more relaxed because of his words. ###